Battle School Reopened
by TurningArt
Summary: SUMMARY: Rachel and Quinn were recruited to Battle School, an organization revived in preparation for a Zombie apocalypse. Author's notes inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Faberry Week, Day 2: Zombie Apocalypse**

**This is loosely based on Ender's Game, except they're not preparing a battle against Aliens but Zombies. My sci-fi influences also include Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed and generally Isaac Asimov. You will definitely find references and blatant borrowing from them. I plead guilty. **

**This will also be a multi-chapter fic that I've had in mind for a long time now. Since I didn't have a Tumblr (until someone messaged me about Faberry Week), I had no idea about the themes. So, I just think it's fitting to give my contribution, even if this is just the first chapter. (Oh, and well, now I do: turningartfaberry)**

**To those who are reading my other WIP fiction "How much for an hour?" don't worry, it will NOT go on hiatus. I will do the impossible (exaggeration much, lol) and finish the two. **

Quinn silently let out a sigh of relief after the monitor has been removed from her nape. To say she felt freedom was an understatement.

The small octagon-shaped chip inserted just underneath the first layers of skin basically hooked her up to Gaia—the artificial intelligence that governs the Empire.

Quinn Fabray has been marked early on in her life. She was extremely intelligent, logical, calculating and her personality can be summed up as unexcitable.

Many times, Assembly-25, the unit assigned to recruitment for International Defense has placed Quinn in various situations that had tested her temper but her reaction was consistently calm, collected and always found a way to come out as the winner—by negotiation or by force.

She was the perfect candidate to lead the future crew that was tasked to ensure Earth's survival against the unverified, sporadic but escalating reports of mutations found among the great civilization rivers.

A-25 was originally organized a century ago during the great battle against the Buggers—an alien civilization that threatened to wipe out the whole galaxy. The hero of the whole struggle was a young boy named Andrew Wiggin, whose brother Peter became the Earth's Hegemon. Andrew, or Ender to his battle school friends, was eventually exiled to another galaxy. He was a hero, but also greatly feared. If a young boy can lead an army against superior life-forms to victory, citizens shuddered at the thought of him becoming a man.

He was a potentially dangerous weapon.

And no man was more pleased over his departure than Peter himself.

Peter was a ruthless leader in the tradition of Genghis Khan but had the diplomatic genius of Julius Caesar. During his lifetime rule, there was order. He quashed any signs of resistance and did everything for the greater good. He had the charisma that made people fall into hero-worship.

Pacem In Imperii.

Peace in the Empire. That was the Hegemon's battle cry.

It took twenty years for peace to be fully restored after Peter's death by a group of resistance fighters that eventually formed the core group of what would be known as The Assembly. They had become the omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient world government. In short, they have replaced God and any other forms of natural and supernatural leadership and governance. The Assembly is made up of 6 leaders representing the 6 habitable continents with Gaia as the arbiter and final word.

The idea was to avoid one ambitious person to attempt a monopoly of power.

The idea was to avoid another Peter Wiggin that would leave a power vacuum in his death.

People will die but Gaia will continue to exist and will always be objective, lacking desire for authority and influence.

Peter would have been extremely offended if he saw his direct descendant, Quinn Fabray, being treated as a lab rat by what he would have considered at a group of weak individuals hiding behind perverted ideas of democracy and power-sharing.

Good thing he was already dead.

Quinn never liked Peter Wiggin.

Surely, no man was close to a god-like persona without a form of psychosis or two. That was what Quinn thought. She never liked the highly articulate historical narrative found in her textbooks based on Peter Wiggin's autobiography.

No, she didn't like Peter Wiggin, the loved.

She was drawn towards Ender, the loathed.

She spent so many hours staring up in the star-lit sky and wondered if his Great-grand uncle Ender still roamed the universe. Age was stunted in hyperspace; and so Quinn had always imagined Ender to still be young—maybe in his late twenties—arriving on earth to live with them.

He was her hero. He was the one who sacrificed his life for the greater good.

Yet he was short of being forgotten, if not for being a footnote in Peter's biography or the mention of the soldiers that fought the Buggers.

Quinn feared she would end up like him. Reviled, or worse, forgotten.

She was happy for a brief moment when, after 3 years she was told the monitor will be taken off from her.

She had thought it meant she failed the exam.

She would finally have a normal life, instead of being avoided by kids in her school.

Nobody liked the special kid who was bound for Battle School.

Everybody hated the special kid who will be the hero that will save the world.

Quinn sat silently with her older sister Frannie holding her hand.

A tall blonde woman walked inside and sat on the opposite side of the huge oval table. "Quinn Fabray," she nodded several times without any variety of formal introductions and motioned the girl to follow her in her office.

Frannie reluctantly let go of Quinn's hand after the younger blonde whispered, "I'll be okay."

"How does it feel now that the monitor's gone?" the woman sat down and extended her hand towards the chair in front of her work table.

Quinn obeyed and turned so that she can directly look at the woman. "Elating, I guess."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because that means I get to be normal again."

"You know, most kids _loved_ the fact that they had the monitor on. That thing made them feel exceptional."

"If by exceptional you mean people are nice to your face because they are scared you would do something to them, then yes, it makes one exceptional."

"How _did_ the monitor make you feel, then?"

"Ostracized. Like I'm some form of a freak. People already treat me differently because I'm related to the Hegemon. The monitor seemed to have confirmed that ruthlessness is genetic."

"Dispositions _are_ genetic, Quinn, but not how we choose to use them."

Quinn nodded and tried to digest what the woman just said. "I don't know your name."

The woman smiled. "Captain Sue Sylvester of A-25."

"So you're the person who made my life a living hell for three years."

Sue shrugged. "You can see me that way, or the person who built your character. We'll work on your perspective. In fact, based on our findings," she lifted a finger then opened a folder, "that's one of your biggest flaws. You're a pessimist, Quinn Fabray."

Quinn tightened her lips and glared at the woman.

"We'll work on those death glares, too. You need to be more…gregarious as a potential leader."

"I don't want to be a leader. I don't want to be anything that is connected to The Assembly."

"Everyone is connected to The Assembly, Quinn," Sue patiently drawled out. "Our unit numbers are quite telling. A-1 to god knows how many we are now. I don't keep tabs. All I know is every aspect of our lives are regulated by The Assembly."

"I thought I failed the exam."

"Because we had your monitor removed?"

The blonde teenager nodded in response.

"We removed the monitor, because we already have everything we need to know to confirm your recruitment. You will be on your way to Battle School tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning? That's unfair! What will happen to my sister?"

"Your sister is, sadly, normal. She has a family, Quinn. Nothing's going to change in her life."

"Are you blind?" Quinn sighed in exasperation. "Every Battle School student's families have been stigmatized for bringing up freaks in this world."

"They are well compensated."

"Money isn't everything!"

"Quinn Fabray." Sue shook her head and leaned back with her hands clasped together. "This is your second biggest flaw. You love your sister so much that it clouds your judgment. Do you understand that what you're going to do is for _your_ sister? A cataclysmic event is threatening to end our civilization. If people like you do not sacrifice their lives, where will we all end up in? What will we become? Where will your sister be?"

Quinn remained silent and sulking. An argument would have been futile and a waste of energy when she knew she had lost.

"Will I be allowed to return to her when all of this is over?"

"I cannot make any promises of that sort."

"Will you at least promise me that A-15 will take care of them?"

"Until they die."

"Can I spend the night with them without the home monitors on?"

"I will make sure you will have your privacy for the night."

"What am I supposed to bring with me?"

"You don't need clothes or your Assembly-issued Tablet. We will be providing you with a new one in Battle School. You can…bring a photo of your family if you want."

"Okay."

"You may go. I will personally escort you tomorrow from your home to the launch ground."

"Okay." Quinn stood up. But before turning the door knob, she looked at Sue one more time.

"What is it?"

"If the rumors are true about hypermutations. Why are we using the old Battle School launch ground? They're not Buggers from outer space."

Sue grinned widely. "You'll see."

"That's _her_?" First Lieutenant Will Schuester exclaimed while watching footage of a small teenage girl running away from a group of A-88's—curfew enforcers—daftly. "_That's_ the descendant of the great Julian Delphiki II?"

Sue laughed mockingly. "Never judge a soldier by her appearance, Lieutenant. Do I have to remind you that Julian Delphiki II was called _Bean_ by Ender because of how puny he was?"

Will pursed his lips and nodded. "I suppose."

"How cute that her name is Rachel _Berry_."

"Life's sense of humor."

"Yes and she seems to be the uncontrollable one."

"Quinn has an almost detrimental dependence on logic. She needs someone who is intuitive by nature."

"Why does that make you sound like a matchmaker from hell?" Will sighed.

Sue smirked and raised an eyebrow after watching 2 A-88's finally catching Rachel. "I might as well be, Lieutenant. I might as well be," she laughed despondently as she continued to watch Rachel struggle and curse while being carried away. "Come on, the descendant of the great Bean deserves our welcome."

Quinn heard a commotion outside her waiting room.

She had spent the night with her sister crying incessantly and her nephew literally hugging her leg. They discussed nothing about Battle School despite the looming issues such as the huge possibility of never seeing each other again. Quinn took hundreds of photos. She turned off her Tablet and put on her hacker device that she had not used in years. Turning on the optical data gloves and virtual glasses, she spent the rest of dawn uploading those photos in different nodes and encrypted boards.

She will not be forgotten.

Now, she was busy trying to outwit a game that seemed to be designed never to lose against the human player. Quinn looked up when the commotion escalated. She stood up and peeped through the small square window provided on the door.

She saw a girl being dragged to Sue Sylvester's office and heard cuss words the blonde genius had not heard before. That brought a small smile on Quinn's lips. That girl was giving The Assembly such a hard time that she instantly gained Quinn's respect.

After a couple of hours, the steel door opened and in comes Rachel Berry still cursing the high heavens. Quinn stood up and stared at the brunette.

"Why the hell are you staring at me?"

"Because you're the only other person in this room. I much rather stare at you than the tablet screen."

Rachel frowned and glanced at the tablet Quinn was holding.

"Oh. I've seen those things before."

"You've never had one?"

Rachel scoffed. "Do I look like an Assembly student to you?"

Quinn surveyed the brunette's appearance. "You look normal to me."

"Not normal and proud of it," Rachel chuckled as she lifted her jacket's sleeve.

No bar code.

"How did you manage to—"

The smaller girl shrugged. "I was raised by the nuns at Rotterdam."

"Rotterdam," Quinn gasped. "That's where Julian—"

"Yeah, yeah. Julian Delphiki II. I've heard about him. He's apparently my great grandfather. Whatever."

The blonde gazed at Rachel intensely. "Ender Wiggins is my ancestor."

"Who?"

"You've…not heard of him?"

"Obviously."

Quinn pulled a chair and offered it to Rachel. "Ender Wiggins. Hero of the Bugger War. He went to Battle School with Julian—Bean. With Bean. Your ancestor."

Rachel raised her eyebrows. "And?"

"And…" Quinn twisted her lips. "And I don't know. Just. You don't find it amazing? That we're both here now. Descendants of the Bugger War heroes."

The brunette crinkled her nose. "Not really. I just agreed to be here because that tall blonde chick promised me free food and lodging. I'd do anything to get out of the monastery for once."

"So, so, you weren't tested?"

"Tested for what? I'm not sick."

"Tested to qualify for Battle School."

"Nooo. What the heck is that?" Rachel was now wide-eyed and expression filled with worry. "I was not told of any Battle School."

"It's—" Quinn looked around. "I'm—we're going to Battle School. We're going to be trained to go to war."

"Oh no, no, no, no, no." Rachel shook her head several times. "I'm not going to be a soldier to any Assembly excursion."

"But you are now."

"You seem to be unusually calm about this."

"They have observed me for three years now. I'm used to it and I have accepted what they want me to do."

"Damn it," Rachel kicked the table leg then stood up. "Hey!" She slammed her palm against the steel door. "I have been deceived! I'm not going to Battle School or any school for that matter!"

"We're leaving in an hour," Quinn mumbled.

"Hey, I said—WHAT? AN HOUR?"

"Yeah."

"Then we need to find an escape route," Rachel growled before looking around the room.

"There's no use. You won't find any secret tunnel here."

"I _never _believe there's no escape to anything. There's always a weak poi—" She grinned widely and looked up. "Point." She lifted her finger and pointed at the exhaust screen.

Quinn breathed in. The proverbial burst pipe. Rachel climbed on top and started to pry the exhaust open.

"I can't believe it's that easy," Rachel laughed while waving the exhaust screen at Quinn. "Come on."

Quinn stared at the potential exit route. "We will get caught. They could be watching us."

"Look, if this room is actually monitored, don't you think they'd be barging in by now?"

Quinn didn't say anything but continued to stare at the hole in the ceiling. "That's…that's very plausible. But they could also be just waiting in the end. Besides, we don't even know if it leads to an exit."

"Then we'd have to risk it."

"And then what? What are we going to do? They'll be able to look for us."

"_They'll_ be able to look for you because you have a barcode. Not me."

"So, why were they able to get you in here?"

"Huh," Rachel frowned. "I didn't think of that."

"They probably have known your whereabouts since you were born. After all, you're related to Bean."

The brunette blinked then sighed.

Quinn extended her hand and pulled Rachel down from the table.

They stood closely against each other and stared into one another's eyes. It was Quinn who broke the silence. "We're stuck here. Might as well form an alliance."

"Why would we need to form an alliance?"

"I've heard stories about the school. They will pit us against each other. But there's no need for _us_ to see each other as competition."

"Why not?"

Quinn's mouth quirked upwards. "Because it will frustrate _them_."

Rachel broke into a huge smile. "I get your point."

"Am I right or am I right, hmm, Lieutenant?"

"How are you right, Captain?"

Sue smiled. "Did you see the hesitation in Quinn? She just met Rachel and yet, she showed implicit trust. On the flipside, since when did Rachel ever listen to anyone?"

Will read Rachel's profile again and nodded. "As usual, you are right, Captain."

Sue clicked her fingers. "What's the latest report on Mekong?"

"There have been sightings of hypermutated giant catfish to the estimated size of sixteen feet."

"Sixteen feet? That's a lot of fillet."

"Uhh, yes," Will juggled several folders and opened one. "Locals have tried to capture it but they claimed it moved at an exceedingly fast speed. There are also reports of rising spider bites that induced some natives into zombie-like states. They're currently being observed by A-30."

Sue sat down and furrowed her brows. "Have they given us any hypothesis at all as to what's causing all of this?"

"They are looking into water compositions. Rivers _are_ the common theme."

"So far."

"True. They seemed to be contained right now."

"I would hardly consider reports coming from Mekong, Amazon, Yangtze, and Zambezi as contained. But," Sue yawned, "I should trust those science geeks at A-30. Is it time?"

Will glanced at his wristwatch and nodded.

"So...you can actually hook up your tablet to every single node in the Web?" Rachel whispered while she huddled closely to Quinn who was showing off her Net skills.

The blonde swallowed at the proximity then nodded. "It's not—not everyone can. I mean, what I'm doing is technically illegal."

The brunette gazed at Quinn and gave a closed smile. "You're a hacker, aren't you?"

"I could—I mean, I know how to. I thought I would be one later on."

"I didn't know that's a career option."

"A-31 hires hackers."

"Ah. So you'll work for _them_."

"I didn't say that," Quinn frowned. "I just meant to give you an example that being a hacker can be career."

"Easy, blonde one. I was just teasing you."

Quinn's frown broke into a smile. She couldn't help it. Rachel's smile was infectious.

"So…how come you were not schooled?"

"Nuh uh. That's a wrong assumption. I _was_ schooled by the nuns."

"Oh. What…what exactly did they teach you?"

"Everything I need to know in order to survive."

"Like what?"

"World religions, languages, maths, literature, history, yep, the works."

"So how come you don't know about Ender?"

"I said history, not science fiction."

Quinn's face flushed in red. "That's _not_—"

Rachel laughed and nudged Quinn. "I was kidding. Wow. You have no sense of humor. I know about Ender, alright? I was just being annoying earlier. And if you really are Ender's descendant, that means you are also the Hegemon's descendant. _He _was Bean's enemy."

"They're relationship was a lot more complicated than that."

The brunette shrugged. "Sure. How come you didn't claim to be related to _the_ Peter Wiggin?"

"I just…I saw more of our Battle School connection with Ender, that's all."

"Huh," Rachel nodded, "Okay."

The stared at each other again but disrupted this time by the door swinging open.

Sue marched inside with her hands behind her. "Alright, lovebirds. Time to leave."

They were led inside a tube that descended at a moderate speed. "Underground instead of space," Quinn breathed out in awe.

Sue smiled and nodded at her. "You will find the game rooms to be simulations of the different earth topographies."

Rachel's eyes were wide. "Who are _we_ fighting?"

Quinn looked to her direction. "Zombies."

"Zombies," Rachel repeated. "Like, for real."

"Technically speaking," Sue interjected, "zombie-_like_ creatures. They go through several stages with one common thread."

"And that is?"

"Their mutation would be exaggerated forms of their original species. Say, a fish becomes ten times larger, or a spider becomes venomous when it's not supposed to be."

"So, we're talking of animals?"

Sue sighed. "That would be simpler, don't you think? We won't be wasting our time here. Once humans become infected, they enter into a coma. There have been reports—and I'm sure with Quinn's vast reach in the Web she is very much aware of the rumors—that once they wake up from the coma, they enter into a zombie-like state."

Rachel stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Rumors. So if there was some form of truth to it, I'm sure the Assembly has seen some, I don't know, evidence of these things."

"That's the thing, isn't it?" Sue frowned as they entered the Battle School. "There are."

Quinn simply nodded while Rachel sputtered.

"I see Quinn has done her job researching," Will finally quipped.

"Why are we needed for this?" Quinn frowned again.

"Because we need all the great minds we can have," Sue winked.

"She's awfully unprofessional. Flirting with you like that," Rachel whispered to Quinn.

The young blonde blushed profusely. "She's _not._ Shut up."

Rachel smirked before she found herself blushing as well when Quinn held her hand as the huge door towards the building proper slowly opened. "This is it," the blonde whispered.

Quinn didn't let go of the brunette's hand while they were being escorted towards their assigned room. "Are you scared?" Rachel mumbled.

"Yeah."

"It's just…training isn't it? I mean, it's not guaranteed that there would really be an 'apocalypse' right?"

"Yeah. But," Quinn exhaled sharply. "I don't do well with people."

"They're worried about the un-dead taking over, and you're worried about socializing." Rachel couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.

Quinn's reaction is to hold the other girl's hand tighter. "You're…really scared."

"Human beings can do more damage than zombies, Rachel. We are worse monsters because we hit the emotions and mind. Zombies just…wanna eat us."

The smaller girl opened her mouth but immediately shut it tight when she heard Will talk. "This is the Green area. Obviously because you're greenhorns," Will smiled before calling a tall boy. "Finn Hudson is your Squad leader and Noah Puckerman, is your Platoon leader."

Both boys grinned then nodded before walking past them.

"You'll meet them later at your Squads common room. Right now," Will smiled again. "I hope you find your room to be at least comfortable enough."

"Anything's better than Rotterdam," Rachel chuckled.

Quinn stepped inside quietly. "Top or bottom?"

"Oh, well I can be both," Rachel replied absent-mindedly as she looked around their rectangular room.

"Uhm, I was talking about the, uh, bed arrangements."

"Exactly—oh." Rachel turned pale. "You mean," she chuckled nervously and stared at the two level bunk beds. "Yeah, yes. Well, I can take the top."

Quinn bit her inner cheek to stop herself from laughing. She sat down on the lower bed and studied the corner post and pulled out a monitor/table. Rachel silently sat next to Quinn and watched the blonde work.

"Whatcha doing?"

"Logging in. I think…this is connected to the Web."

"And?"

"And we'll find news about this hypermutations. Well, more like gossips from the different chat boards. But they're generally accurate. So much stuff out there that The Assembly is not telling us."

"Quinn. We're inside Battle School. They could be monitoring us right now."

"We _are_. But if they don't want us to be connected to the outside world," Quinn gasped softly then grinned. "They wouldn't let us get access. But we have."

"You're connected?"

"Yeah." Quinn's eyes roamed around the screen, touching a few buttons and making swiping motions.

"I'm getting dizzy with what you're doing."

"You'd need to learn how to do this as well. Here. Take a look at this."

Rachel knelt behind Quinn and read over her shoulder what seemed to be more like running headlines. "Reports of A-30 presence found in near the Amazon river. News of hypermutants found near the French Guiana territory. Locals have reported of disturbances caused by Assembly units. We ask the question, are they there to suppress the hypermutation process or causing it?"

The two girls looked at each other.

Rachel reached out and swiped the screen for more news while Quinn continued to stare at her. "You like this, huh?"

"It's…interesting. Let's see…what else…Quinn, look at this one."

The blonde's gaze snapped back towards the screen. "Is Gaia losing touch? We thought it was meant to be an arbiter. Why has it been siding with the hawks consistently for five major defense policies?" Quinn blinked. "You think there's a connection between the two?"

"I've always been suspicious of a government being led by a…machine."

"Gaia is more than a machine, Rachel. It's an Arti—"

"Exactly, Quinn. _Artificial_."

"It's meant to be infallible."

"A machine is still man-made and can be controlled or redesigned."

"I still don't see how that can be connected to zombie sightings."

"Who knows?"

Quinn shook her head. "News about Gaia is always political. The dissidents may just as well be behind these gossips."

"Okay, so why are there dissidents if Gaia is meant to be good at decision-making?"

"I don't know. Maybe because there are just people who can never be satisfied and are fault-finders."

"Or maybe they see certain truths that we can't right now. Teach me how to use that thing soon and I'll find more news for us."

"I don't think so, Rachel. I don't want us to get into trouble."

"What are they going to do to us, Quinn? Kick us out? So what? You'll go back to your home, and I'll be back with the nuns."

The blonde chewed her lip for a moment. "Okay, fine."

"Aren't you afraid they would find out too many things, Captain?"

"Quinn will find out whether we like it or not. I have a feeling she already knows more than what we are led to believe. It is in her nature."

"And what will happen when she figures it all out?"

"We'd either have an enemy or ally. There's just no in between."

"And Rachel?"

"Rachel is more important."

"Because she has influence over Quinn."

"And that is why you have to make sure their bond is tested in order to be fully forged."

"I'm just curious, Captain. How did you know they would hit it off right away?"

"Loneliness is a very strong force, Lieutenant. Stronger than gravity."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: As I've also placed in my other fic, I might not be able to update for a couple of weeks because of an exam.

A/N 2: This hasn't been proofread because of my crazy schedule. I apologize in advance, and I will get back to editing it once my life returns to normalcy.

Thank you for the comments/reviews, etc. Feel free to once again review. Thank you and have a good week ahead :)

The first night was horrible. Quinn wasn't an easy sleeper. She tossed and turned while Rachel slept soundly. The blonde's mind drifted to where her sister might be as she was more than sure that they have been relocated. The resistance movement was getting stronger; upon discovery of the Battle School's reopening, pockets of rallies mushroomed all over the city. The Assembly has ensured that family members of Battle School students were kept safe from potential threats as they were easy targets.

She couldn't blame them. Their children were prospective soldiers for an unknown operation that have been draining the country's coffers. The list of qualifications was not even made public. Anyone can be marked by the government and be tested.

You can say no, but the government "highly encourages" its citizens not to decline for the greater good.

Quinn sat up and pulled out her tablet. She first checked the mainstream news networks and found nothing about the hypermutants. The headlines ranged from bilateral trade agreements to new defense treaties with the Oceania region with occasional discussions on rising military fundamentalism found in Southeast Asia.

She sighed. Bypassing several firewalls and net filters, Quinn sent out a message that was posted simultaneously on several boards.

_Are we being kept in the dark and foolishly think that the shadows form our reality? _

_When are we going to emerge from the caves of ignorance?_

_Are we aware of the subtle yet binding reshaping of our society that distinguishes the weak from the strong? _

_I am at the deepest abyss; I will eventually be revealed. _

_I am your guardsman. _

_But I ask the question, as a wise man from thousands of years ago has. _

_Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? _

Quinn immediately regretted her decision.

It only took less than a minute.

Her network map started lighting up like a circuit board. Messages started pouring in.

She turned off the console, scampered to lie down and cover her whole body with a blanket. With her eyes wide open, she listened to Rachel's even breathing and tried to calm herself.

It was like stirring the hornet's nest, and she had no idea what came over her in the first place.

She was, however, more than sure that tonight was her last in Battle School. By tomorrow, the officials would have been sounded off about the security breach and her subversive message.

She once again listened to Rachel.

She listened.

And listened.

She found out the wily girl's light snoring had a soothing effect on her.

She was going to miss Rachel a lot.

The short brunette was probably the only person who did not look at Quinn with either fear or veneration. She was impressed by the blonde's computer skills, but wasn't afraid to thumb her nose at Quinn's views and opinions.

She was Quinn's equal.

She could be Quinn's friend.

"Can't sleep?"

Quinn took off the blanket covering her head. "Did I wake you up? I'm sorry…"

Rachel rolled to her stomach and ducked her head to look at the blonde. "Yeah. But that's okay. I sleep easily, I wake up easily. No problem at all."

"Okay."

"How long have you been a hacker?"

"I…uhm. My dad taught me. I was eight? He gave me my first device on my birthday."

"Wow. Great parenting," the brunette chuckled. "What does he do?"

"He—he's dead now. But he worked at A-31 as the head of research."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"And your mom?"

"She's also gone. They, uh, they got into a car accident."

"I'm…sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. My sister takes—took care of me. She's amazing."

"I bet."

"How about you? Why do you live with the nuns?"

"I don't know. I was raised there."

Quinn looked up as if she can see Rachel through the bed base. "You don't know who your parents are?"

"I do. I mean, it's not like my lineage is obscure. But I don't know what happened to them. I never really bothered asking as well."

"Why not?"

"What's the use in that? If they're dead, doesn't matter how they died. Information won't make them come back. And if they are _still_ alive, well," Rachel scoffed, "all the more I don't want to know them."

"But what if there's a good reason?"

"Is there ever a good reason for abandoning your child at an orphanage?"

"Well…yeah. What if they can't support you or—"

"Quinn," Rachel laughed lightly. "I'm really fine not knowing."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I just—"

"I know. I'm not mad at you. Stop saying sorry for every little thing."

"Okay, sorry."

The brunette laughed loudly this time. "Your manners will be the death of you."

This made the young hacker smile.

"Try to sleep, Quinn. I bet tomorrow's going to be crazy."

The blonde girl sighed. "Yeah, I bet."

Rachel was a ball of energy. In what seemed to have been only a couple of hours, the brunette was up and about. Quinn woke up, disoriented, both by where she is and the presence of a hummingbird-like companion.

"Hey," Rachel grinned while stretching.

"Hey." Quinn's eyes twitched. She slowly sat up and rubbed her face. "What time is it?"

"Six. We're supposed to be at the mess hall by seven."

"How did you know? We weren't given an orientation last night."

"My body clock is programmed to wake up early. Living with the nuns, I'm actually surprised I don't wake up at 4 a.m." Rachel picked up a piece of paper. "Somebody slipped this through the door. It's our schedule for the day."

"Oh. Off to shower, then."

"You alright?"

"Yeah…just, I don't know how the people in our platoon would be."

"Should I worry as well?"

"Do you worry at all?"

"I'm not made of stone," Rachel smiled in amusement. "Of course I have my own set of worries."

"You hide it very well."

"I thought you said we have an alliance."

"We do."

"That's why I'm not worried about the platoon and how we'll be treated."

"Rachel…" Quinn stood closely in front of the brunette.

"Yeah?"

"I did something terrible last night. They might kick me out."

"_What_ exactly can one do between saying goodnight to me and waking up a few minutes ago?"

"I…I passed through the school's security system to send out a message that's…that's…" Quinn covered her face with her hands. "My sister could get into trouble. I didn't think. At all. I was just so frustrated with being here and—"

"Hey, now." Rachel reached out for Quinn's hands and forced the scared blonde girl to look at her. "What is it that you sent out?"

"I—it was questioning all the filtered information and media manipulation of what's really going on…a-about the hypermutants and, and I might have alluded to being in battle school."

"Okay..." Rachel nodded. "Did anyone reply to it?"

"Yes…a lot, actually. But…but I haven't read any."

"Is that why you rushed back to bed?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay…well, if they kick you out, they'd have to kick me out, too."

"What? No, you—"

"I'll tell them I bullied you into writing that. It's believable considering the hard time I gave them bringing me here," the brunette said with a playful smile. "And as for your sister, I don't think you should be worrying about her this much. If _she_ was able to put up with you, I bet she's a tough cookie."

"You're right. She is—hey," Quinn protested. "I wasn't a difficult child."

"I bet."

She should be annoyed. But once again, she found herself smiling because Rachel's smile was just infectious. It's crazy to be this drawn towards another person, especially since Quinn had been denied of normal socialization just for being who she was. If only people in her school were like Rachel, she probably wouldn't have hated it as much.

Rachel was special though, Quinn thought. Unique. One of a kind.

And she liked that Rachel was all that.

"We should…take a shower now," Rachel murmured while trying hard not to blush under Quinn's intense gaze.

"Yeah…" Quinn licked her dry lips and swallowed.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Yeah?" Quinn mumbled before opening the door.

"Hi. I'm Santana Lopez and I'm your new Squad leader." She then pointed at the tall blonde behind her. "And this is Brittany Pierce."

Quinn furrowed her brows. "Yesterday, we met—"

"Finn Hudson. Yeah. There was an ad hoc reshuffling last night after the greens arrived," the Latina shrugged. "You'll be under my watch from now on…Quinn Fabray, isn't it?"

"Yes…uhm, how should I address you?"

"Err…Santana?"

"No titles?"

"Well…you can call me Captain Orgasm in private," Santana winked. Brittany seemed to be lost in her tablet's little game to notice her squad commander flirting with the newbie.

Quinn's cheeks burned before Rachel cleared her throat.

The new squad commander laughed. "Oh, god. I am condemned to lead a group of humorless individuals. Chill, Fabray. I was just teasing you." She tilted her head and nodded at Rachel. "Berry, yeah?"

"Uhm, yes. I prefer to be called Rachel, though."

"Gotcha," the Latina gave a "thumbs up". "But that doesn't mean I'll consider your preference. I like Berry. It's got character and attitude. Anyway, I was just checking to see if you guys are up. Mess hall in 40 minutes. Don't be a minute late. Don't look at other platoons. Just go straight to the Dragon table."

"Dragon…"

"That's our Platoon's name."

"Oh. Okay. No eye contact, got it," Rachel nodded.

"Alright."

"Captain Orgasm, my foot," Rachel huffed after closing the door. "Come on, let's hit the showers before—Quinn."

"She's awesome," Quinn gushed then smiled lopsidedly.

"No, she's not," Rachel grimaced. "She clearly has an inflated ego and—"

"She's awesome," the blonde insisted. "And she looks good in her uniform."

Rolling her eyes, the smaller girl grabbed her towel and uniform that was neatly placed by the school in their cabinet. "This oughta make me look good. Or else, I would have to alter them to my liking."

"You can't do _that_."

"Oh yeah? Watch me," Rachel huffed then stormed out, leaving a confused hacker behind.

Quinn quietly walked inside the communal bathroom and slowly took off her sleep clothes.

This is going to be a challenge.

She has never been fully naked in front of anyone, let alone saw someone else's body.

But here she was, standing next to Rachel who was oblivious of the blonde's internal struggle.

Quinn breathed deeply and stepped under the shower head. She closed her eyes and took in the pleasure of warm water trickling down her body.

It was surprisingly easy. Rachel made no comment about the obvious fact that they were both naked. She just went about doing her business and hummed a few tunes.

"You have a nice singing voice," Quinn mumbled.

"What's that?"

Turning off the shower, Quinn smiled and faced Rachel. "I said, you have a nice singing voice."

"Thanks. And you have a nice, uhm," Rachel forced herself to look up. "Speaking voice."

Quinn's eyes widened upon realizing that she exposed herself fully to the brunette. She grabbed her towel and almost slipped from scurrying away.

The brunette closed her eyes and mumbled a prayer, compelling herself to think of the nuns in order to cool her body down.

Unlike Quinn, Rachel was very aware of her body and sexuality. No, of course she wasn't taught by the nuns about those things. The streets of Rotterdam were, however, was a repository of knowledge that you won't find in books.

But she had never encountered in that wretched city someone as perfect as Quinn. She only needed a few seconds to rake in and commit to memory the image of the blonde's flawless body. They should come up with a schedule that will make them avoid showering together. She had a feeling that Quinn's innocence _will_ be the death of her.

She stepped out of the shower and found Quinn nowhere in sight. "Ninja," she chuckled while putting on her uniform. She zipped up the skintight red and white suit with a dragon emblazoned at the back and her surname just above the chest. She liked it. And she looked good in it.

The walk on the way to the mess hall was long and quiet. Rachel felt Quinn tense up at the sight of three dozen or more teenagers inside the dining area. "It's okay," the brunette whispered. "I see Santana. Remember, straight to the Dragon Army."

"Yeah, okay."

They walked side by side with their eyes firmly placed on Santana who saluted them.

A few more steps and they're home free.

That is, until someone's stupid leg suddenly appeared and tripped Quinn over.

Santana stood up and immediately ran towards them. Rachel and Brittany were quick to help the young hacker stand up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Quinn sighed before massaging her knee.

"Surely, you think that was funny Karofsky."

The burly male shrugged and grinned. "It was too easy."

The Latina leaned closer. "You obviously have not heard of the reshuffling that happened in our Platoon. Those newbies belong to _me_. And I will _not_ tolerate anyone who tries to 'welcome' my squad with your sick sense of hospitality. Do I make myself clear?"

David chuckled derisively. "Crystal. But game room is free-for-all. You can't stop me from squashing your greenhorns."

This remark made the Latina grin like a Cheshire cat. "You really are a dimwitted oaf. You have _no_ idea who these two are."

The boy's face turned sour and glared at the two younger girls.

"I suggest," Santana whispered, "You look into their profiles. I can almost see you quiver like a kitten under a storm." She stood straight and turned to face Quinn and Rachel. "Come on. I'm famished."

That incident aside, morning was relatively peaceful. Santana handed them their class schedules, toured them and explained different levels of access, and which places to avoid especially when alone. "Some of these kids can be downright nasty. A few weeks ago, someone had to be sent home because of a prank gone wrong."

Quinn eyed Rachel nervously. "What…what happened?"

"Showers. Some kids decided to scare the newbie. He ran then slipped. He's fine as far as news reaching here is concerned. But. He'll be in a cast for months. Of course, boys can't enter the female bathrooms and vice versa."

"But what if they—"

"They _can't_. Or alarms will go off. Our uniforms have microchips."

Rachel scowled at this. "So…they actually monitor our whereabouts."

"That's the idea. There _are_ ways to go around it. So they say. I'm sure Quinn—the geek that she is—will figure out a way. And hopefully, share it with her squad," Santana chuckled. "Okay," Santana exclaimed before the blonde could react. "I'm leaving you here inside the game room so you can discover how wonderfully violent and morbid our education is. I have reserved this for the whole morning. Anyone who tries to throw you out or challenge you to a game, just press that huge red button for the alarm."

"We can't play with others?"

"You can play with your Platoon. Now with the others teams. You've seen how mean Karofsky can be. Unless you are sure of your skills, avoid engaging other platoons into combat. It may be called war games, but that doesn't mean no one actually gets hurt." When Quinn and Rachel nodded solemnly, Santana started walking towards the door. "Feel free to explore."

They stood silently while their eyes roamed around the huge space.

The game room was as huge as an auditorium. Maybe even bigger. It was literally a white rectangular-shaped area with high ceilings.

"What are we supposed to do?" Rachel puffed her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips.

"I think…" Quinn looked around and found several consoles. "I think we're supposed to, uh, choose a game," she murmured after looking at one screen. She gently pressed the beginner button and the GUI displayed several scenario options.

"Do you want to play in the Amazon?"

"Yeah, I guess," Rachel shrugged.

Both jumped as a loud mechanical sound echoed inside the room. The floor area right in front of the console opened up and a table was elevated. Carefully lined up on top of the counter were two huge simulation eyewear, optical data gloves and several guns."

"Jesus, Mary, Joseph," Rachel gasped. "What the hell are these things?"

Quinn helped the brunette with the instruments. "I guess, they're training us through virtual reality. These gloves will make us communicate with the eyewear and the whole system. Our uniform must be hooked up with it somehow."

"I can't see a thing."

"We'll have to turn it on, wait for me," Quinn patiently explained as she geared up for the game. She felt a small button on her eyewear's right side and pushed it. "Oh, wow," she gushed.

"What? What are you doing?"

"Press the button on the right side of your simulation gear."

Rachel breathed deeply. It was as if she was really inside a jungle. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I think so…jungle?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well—shit!" Quinn ducked her head as a gargantuan version of a harpy eagle swooped over, causing the blonde lose her footing.

"Quinn!" Rachel intuitively pulled out her gun and aimed at the bird that decided to come back and attack the blonde again. She pointed the gun at the attacker's wing and pulled the trigger, causing the brunette to tumble down after feeling the gun's strong recoil. The eagle ascended upon being hit but took a sudden shift in direction and went back for Quinn.

"Quinn, shoot the damn bird!" Rachel exclaimed while aiming again at the same wing.

But Quinn froze. Rachel took another shot and this time successfully earned the ire of the predator.

"Oh shit."

The animal was descending too fast. Rachel knew she had only one shot to make or else it's game over for her. She aimed for the space between its eyes and pulled the trigger.

The eagle vanished into dust.

And everything was silent.

Slowly, Rachel raised her hand and pressed the button on her eyewear. It was a relief to see nothing.

Rachel heard the shuffling of Quinn's feet. Removing the eyewear, the brunette saw the taller girl walk away with her head down low. "Quinn. Wait up."

The blonde, however, continued to walk away without a single word. Finally catching up, Rachel grabbed Quinn's wrist. "Quinn. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You're asking me what's wrong?"

"Uh, yeah."

"What I did in the game was wrong. Or rather, what I didn't _do_."

"Quinn, we had no idea what was in store for us and it was only—"

"I _froze_, Rachel. If it was a real situation, I would have been dead, or worse, I would have gotten you killed."

"As I was _saying_, we had no idea what the game was about. People react differently."

"I _didn't_ react! That's the problem!"

Rachel took a step back. "Quinn, calm down."

Rachel could see the blonde struggle to compose herself. Her chest was heaving and those hazel eyes were darting everywhere except the brunette's direction.

After what seemed to have been an eternity, Quinn finally spoke. "I can do hand to hand combat but only if I had concluded that the situation desperately calls for it. And most of the time…when I was being tested, I was able to get out of situations without having to resort to violence."

"You're a very intelligent girl."

"What's the use of it if I can't react quickly? I would be the first to die in the battlefield."

"That's _why_ we're being trained. You really can't expect yourself to have a dominant survival instinct like me. You didn't grow up in an overcrowded city with the highest crime rate in the world."

"You're what they need. I don't even know why I'm here. I _shouldn't_ be here."

"You know, this is just our first time to try the game, right? It doesn't reflect badly on you."

"You saved me back there."

"And next time, I'll expect you to have my back."

"I don't think you should depend on me."

"Well, who else should I rely on? You're the only one I trust in this place."

When Quinn didn't answer, Rachel placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "There's a reason why they placed us together in the same room and squad. You know that, don't you? You alluded to that when we first met."

Nodding solemnly, the taller girl gazed into the brunette's eyes. "I trust you, too."

"How about that Lieutenant? Am I right or am I—"

"Yes, yes," Lieutenant Schuester sighed and rolled his eyes as his boss replayed the game footage. "You're right. Rachel is a natural fighter. Quinn, however…"

"Quinn isn't a brawler. You know that. She _is_ however, a potential leader."

"She thinks and talks like everything can be reduced to win-sets."

"Those damn win-sets." Sue chuckled at the memory of the young blonde lecturing her on a variant of game theory analysis. "She definitely needs a more human touch."

"And she needs more physical training. She's right in her self-analysis. She's got a slow reaction and low on self-preservation attributes."

"Then adjust the game to address those things."

"Noted..and oh, should I do something about Quinn's security breach?"

"What exactly did she do again?"

"She, uhm…" Lieutenant Schuester swiped his tablet screen and read the report. "She sent out a message to several nodes that hosts known resistance movement individuals about…" He frowned as he read, "She referenced Plato's Allegory of the Caves, The Republic's Guardians and asked the question, who will guard the guardians. Yeah…that's pretty much it. I'd say in a rather dramatic and ominous manner."

"Interesting."

"So, what do you want me to do, Captain?"

"Give her a copy of John Locke's works."

"I'm…sorry?"

"You heard me. That's what you'll do."

"But what about the security breach—"

"Let her. You know any barrier we place in the system; she'll be able to by-pass. If we punish her, kick her out, that's not going to do anyone good. Better that we are able to monitor the things she finds out than not know at all. It is best for everyone that _we_ guide an extremely gifted individual. Let's not forget that she has a dictator and, a mass murderer in her family tree."

"And Santana?"

Sue groaned. "What did she do _this_ time?"

"I don't like the way she looks at Quinn."

"Will," the tall woman sat down and sighed. "We're running a school filled with hormonal teenagers. Some would be more predatory than others. If I were you, just turn of the damn monitor when it senses unusual…movements between two individuals. Unless you perversely enjoy seeing thermal images of two people doing it like rabbits."

"Santana?" Quinn scooted further away from the Latina. "Uhm, what are we doing in your room?"

"You don't like it here?"

"No—that's not, I mean, we left Rachel alone in the library, and you said that we should avoid being alone while we're still new, so I'm just worried that—"

"I told Chang girl to keep Berry company. Relax. No one messes with my squad."

"But—"

"Shh," Santana sat down next to Quinn.

"Uh, where's your roommate?"

The dark-haired girl smiled. "I don't have a roommate. Perks of being a commander."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So…we have all the privacy we need," Santana purred as she leaned closer.

"P-privacy? For what?"

The squad commander cupped the blonde's chin. "For this, of course." She gently coaxed the newbie to lie down.

Quinn felt her back hit the soft mattress. She felt the pad of Santana's thumb gently rubbing her cheek.

She felt her commander lay on top of her.

"Uhm," the blonde breathed out. "Are we…are we allowed to do this?"

Santana lolled her head from side to side. "I haven't been reprimanded for this. Ever."

"I—I've not kissed…ever."

The Latina's eyes widened. "You've never been kissed?"

Quinn shook her head then blushed.

"What school did you go to, again?"

"Why?"

"Because it's impossible to be so gorgeous and not be pursued by anyone."

"I—people avoided me. I mean, because of who I am."

"The Hegemon, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well…their loss, my gain."

The younger girl visibly gulped. "I…uhm, okay."

Santana chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Wait…you think I'm…gorgeous?" Quinn whispered, exposing vulnerability.

"Definitely. And hot," Santana nodded while locking her eyes on the blonde's lips. "Can we kiss now?"

Quinn never understood the hype about kissing, until now. The moment her commander's lips pressed on hers, she felt tingles down her spine. Slowly, her mind shut down. When she felt Santana's tongue dart out and swipe insistently, she parted her lips and allowed the assault of senses to overtake any reasonable side of her that was screaming against this novel activity.

She had no idea that something so illogical could make her feel this good.


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn returned to their room and found Rachel in her bed and staring at her tablet.

"Hey, you," the blonde grinned widely.

"Hey," mumbled back in response without taking her eyes off the screen. "You missed dinner."

"Yeah…"

"I swiped a sandwich for you though. It's on your study table."

"Really?" Quinn turned around and saw a hero and a bottle of juice. "You're an angel," she cooed before digging in.

"Where have you been anyway? I mean, you and Santana were both missing."

Quinn stopped chewing and swallowed roughly. "You can keep a secret, right?"

"Of course. Don't you trust me, yet?"

"I do. I just…" Quinn sighed. "I don't know—well, it's kind of…I just—"

Rachel sat up and surveyed the other girl with worried expression. "Quinn, you can tell me anything. Did she do anything wrong to you?"

With this, the blonde girl blushed heavily. "I—she didn't do anything wrong. She…we…"

"You what?" This time, Rachel lied back again to hide her frown.

Quinn placed down her sandwich, climbed up to Rachel's bed and sat down with her legs tucked. "We…kissed," she whispered, as if someone else could hear it. "And stuff."

"She works fast," Rachel huffed while callously pressing a few links on the screen. "We've only been here for a couple of days."

Quinn bit her lower lip. "She said…she said I'm so pretty."

Rachel laughed derisively. "You're so naïve, Quinn."

"What-what's that suppose to mean?"

"She said that to get in your pants, what else?"

"Oh." The blonde blinked several times. "So…she just lied to me."

Rachel dropped her tablet, sat up and gazed at Quinn with compunction. "No..Quinn, that's not what I meant. You're—"

"No, I get it. I mean, what was I thinking? No one liked me before, and that's not going to change."

"You're _beautiful_, Quinn. Breathtaking. I just meant," Rachel groaned at her own lack of prudence. "She had ulterior motives. She wouldn't _have_ ulterior motives if you aren't so damn attractive, you know? I just…she said it because she wanted something from you. You deserve to be told you're lovely just because you are. Not because she wanted to make out with you."

"So, what's your ulterior motive?"

"W-what?"

"You said I'm beautiful and…and breathtaking." Quinn blushed after repeating what Rachel said. "So…what do you want from me?"

"I—nothing. I don't want anything from you."

"Are you sure?"

The blonde leaned closer while Rachel pulled back. "What are you doing?"

"I think…I think I like kissing."

The brunette placed her hand over Quinn's chest to stop her from moving closer. "Uh. Well…just because you like kissing now doesn't mean you can just kiss anyone."

"But you're not just anyone. You're my best friend."

"I am?"

"Aren't we?"

"Yeah…yeah I guess we are. But all the more you shouldn't just try to kiss me."

"Why?"

"Because kissing ruins friendships."

"Oh."

"And because you just kissed Santana. I mean, is she your girlfriend now?"

"No," Quinn frowned. "I don't think so. I'm not—I don't even know if I _really_ like girls that way. But she was amazing."

"So, you just fooled around? What did she tell you?"

"She told me it's okay to just kiss and it doesn't have to mean anything else."

Rachel sighed heavily. "What else did you do?"

"She—she, uhm," Quinn blushed again. "She cupped my, uhm, you know."

"Breasts?"

The blonde closed her eyes and nodded shyly. Rachel took Quinn's face. "Quinn, look at me."

"I don't wanna."

The smaller girl rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm not gonna make fun of you."

Quinn slowly opened her eyes and gazed at chocolate orbs.

"You don't let anyone just touch you that way, okay? I realize you've never really interacted much with your peers back home, and unfortunately, you'd have to keep in mind that not everyone who shows kindness to you really has best intention. You're really, _really_ intelligent. But you can be…very innocent."

"We didn't do anything beyond that. I mean, I know I won't get pregnant, but it didn't feel right."

"Keep it that way. Not until you find that person you really love."

"Have you done…it?"

Rachel sighed heavily and nodded. "And that's why I don't want you to make the same mistake."

"You don't think she likes me that way?"

"If she did, she wouldn't have tricked you into second base and instead should have wooed you properly."

"You know, I never quite got the whole baseball reference."

The feisty brunette chuckled. "You're kidding right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"You can hack the whole universe's system, and yet you don't understand the metaphor behind it. You, Quinn Fabray, are a character."

"I suppose I could have just searched for the answer, but I just simply didn't care back then," Quinn nodded then raised her eyebrows. "Or I can just ask you now. Educate me, oh wise one."

"We're _not_ having a sex talk, Quinn."

"Why not?"

"Because…because it's inappropriate."

"You're just gonna tell me! I'm not asking for a demonstration!"

Both girls turned silent at that point and felt their respective bodies flush with heat. Quinn cleared her throat. "I mean…how do I know if I'm moving to third base? You…you need to tell me, because…Santana."

Rachel glared at Quinn. "You _still_ plan to be intimate with her despite what I told you?"

"I—I don't know. Why are you suddenly mad?"

"Because you're being stupid, that's why." Rachel huffed then lied down with her back facing Quinn. "I feel tired. I want to sleep now."

"Rachel…"

"Good night, Quinn."

"Okay…good night."

The blonde slowly retreated and changed her clothes. Rachel silently listened to the shuffling of Quinn's feet and suddenly felt the bed shake. Turning around, she saw Quinn climbing up again. "Quinn, what are you doing?"

"You're mad at me."

"I'm not, okay?"

"Yes, you are. You can't really hide it from me, Rachel."

"Okay, so I am. That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm cuddling with you," Quinn smiled softly before swinging her leg and arm over Rachel.

"Fabray, this is assault."

"Oh, pfft. Whenever I was mad at my sister, she'd do this and then I would resist. But I always wake up feeling better and then I'm not mad at her anymore."

"I'm not you, and you certainly aren't your sister."

"Shh. You have a cushy body. Nice to cuddle with."

"I have a what? Quinn!"

Rachel felt the taller girl scoot closer. They weren't cuddling. They were spooning. Quinn obviously did not know the difference.

Oh, this is not good.

"Quinn, you're making me angrier."

"All the more I'm gonna tighten my hold on you."

The brunette huffed dramatically and closed her eyes. She didn't like being this close to Quinn. She could feel the other girl's hot breath touch her neck and it sent shivers down her spine. She didn't like being this close to the taller girl because it made her angrier, knowing that Santana took advantage of this sweet girl's lack of street smart.

She decided to have a word with Santana. Squad leader, be damned.

Meanwhile the Latina lazily sauntered over to Sue Sylvester's office. "You called for me?"

"Update."

Santana sat down and rubbed her forehead. "What's to update? I got her to exactly where you wanted me to put her. We made out. Please don't tell me you need me to do more with her, because I don't think I can do that. It's going to hurt Brittany no matter how much I explain that I did it under your orders. I don't even know how she's going to take this when she finds out."

"You're a Squad Leader, Santana. You would need to learn to sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of others."

"I don't even understand how that is connected to kissing Quinn. You're playing with people's emotions, Captain…with all due respect."

"You know," Sue stood up and sat down on her table in front of Santana. "This is what I like about you. You say what's on your mind and with respect. Even if the latter is just an afterthought, it still counts."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I don't need praises from you. I feel horrible for having done what I did. How can I expect Quinn to trust and respect me when I've violated every rule of thumb regarding leader-follower dynamics?"

"She will respect you because she respects authority. That's how she is. You shouldn't be worried about her. It's Rachel. Be careful with your group practice tomorrow."

"Why should I?"

"Because I bet you my best combat suit that she's seething mad at you for what you've done with Quinn."

"I still don't get what you're planning, and I think…I don't want to know. Just please tell me I won't have to kiss Quinn again."

"Your job is done."

"Great. Can I go now? Britts is waiting for me."

"You're dismissed."

As predicted, Santana had to deal with a fuming Rachel first thing in the morning. The squad leader was caught off guard while walking through the halls when she was violently pulled towards a cul-de-sac.

"What the fuck, Berry! Let go of me!"

Rachel had her pinned against the wall and the sneer on the smaller girl's face told the squad leader that this was serious business. She groaned upon remembering Sylvester's words. "Look, Rachel," she sighed when the other girl simply gripped her wrists harder in response. "If this is about Fabray—"

"Of course it's about Quinn! Do you know I can get you kicked out from Battle School for violating several provisions in our code of conduct?"

"Woah. You actually read that? Nobody reads the disciplinary code," Santana said in a mixture of trepidation and awe.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I looked it up last night when Quinn told me what _you've _done to her."

"What the hell? It was a consensual thing. I didn't force her to do anything!"

"Did I say she complained?"

"Then what the hell is your problem?"

"Because, you took advantage of her naivety! And _you_ are her immediate superior. In my book, that's called abuse of authority and sexual harassment!"

Blood from the taller girl's face was drained immediately at the accusations hurled her way. Discretion was of course required, but any second further and she would rat out Sue Sylvester as the cause of all this. While the Captain has authority over the whole school, the disciplinary board is made up of several individuals who are not from Battle School. This is the system's attempt to be objective. Luckily for her, Quinn found the two and immediately dragged Rachel away.

"Rachel, what's going on?" Quinn whispered as she led the other girl away.

"Nothing," the brunette dismissively shrugged. "Was just having a word with Santana about today's training."

"You were ready to bite her head off." Quinn stopped from her tracks and gazed into Rachel's eyes. "Did you…" The blonde's eyes widened in fear. "Oh, my god. You talked to her about what we did! Rachel! Why would you do that?"

"Because what she did was wrong, Quinn."

"You have no right to…to…" Quinn frowned as she breathed heavily.

"I have no right to what?"

"I don't need your protection," Quinn snapped. "I mean…" the blonde began backtracking after seeing the hurt expression on the other girl's face. "I mean…not from her. I appreciate—"

"It's fine, Quinn," Rachel sighed. "You're right. I overstepped my boundaries. I'm sorry. That won't happen again."

"I—uhm."

"I'll see you in class," Rachel mumbled before leaving Quinn fumbling to find the words to say.

It was a horrible start for Quinn's first day of class. After that encounter between Santana and Rachel, the squad leader avoided the blonde like a plague during breakfast except when Dave Karofsky and his group of thugs once again attempted to torment Quinn. No one exactly can explain why those ruffians decided to pick on her. It could have been Rachel, or the rest of the greenhorns, but it almost seemed as if once they had set their target on the shy genius, it was locked in and everyone else was footnote. Whether she liked it or not, it was Santana's immediate job to protect her squad at all costs. Which is why she intuitively rejected Sue's orders to seduce Quinn, only to be rebuked by the Captain.

There were certainly a lot of benefits to being a person in charge. But the Latina sometimes—no, often times—wondered if these benefits outweigh the costs. Brittany has not spoken to her since the squad leader told the tall blonde about Sue's orders. That in itself was enough to make Santana cranky. Having been cornered by a greenhorn with no apparent special skill—except her strong intuition—and was ordered not to retaliate, was akin to rubbing salt to an open wound. Seeing Rachel ignore what those bullies just did to Quinn at the mess hall meant an added guilt to her. So much for building trust in the team.

She found herself escorting a tomato sauce-covered Quinn to the bathroom. "We'll get our revenge during team battles, Fabray. I promise you."

The blonde sighed and lowered her shoulders in a dejected way. "Not with me on your squad."

Santana twisted her mouth as she roughly washed the girl's hair. "I watched your practice yesterday…it's going to get better. I was worse on my first practice."

"Really?"

"Well…no."

The young genius frowned and pouted. "Why say it then?"

"Because it seemed like the right thing to say?" The Latina chuckled as she washed off the shampoo from Quinn's hair and watched the water drain in the sink. "But I really mean it when I say it's going to get better."

"I'm not—did _you_ see Rachel? She's the star of your squad."

"_Our_ squad. You need to own it, Fabray."

"Okay, our squad. But did you see her?"

"Of course, I did. She's a natural fighter. I just had my first-hand encounter with that, remember?"

"Yeah…I'm…sorry about that."

"You're apologizing on her behalf? What are you? Her spokesperson?"

"I—no, just. It's because of me that's why she did that to you. She's…very concerned that you're just playing me."

Santana sighed and took a step back while Quinn dried her hair with a towel. "Listen, Quinn. About yesterday. I—"

"It's okay, Santana."

"No, I think I need to—"

"We don't—I know you're not into relationships. I'm okay with that. You're still free to kiss me anytime you want. I liked it. You're really good."

"Yeah—I mean, uhm, thank you?" Santana scratched her head in embarrassment. "You can be very frank, I see. But, Quinn, I don't…" the Latina let out a shaky breath. "I'm not into you…that way. I mean, I really think you're pretty and all…and I…I can be very impulsive. I, uh, what I'm saying is, I made a mistake. I was—I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorta dating Brittany. Nothing's official or anything, but I really like her. So…"

"So, that means we're not going to kiss again," Quinn nodded. "Okay."

The squad leader scrutinized Quinn's expression. "We're…good?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"Okay. Uhm, Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you…can you not tell anyone about what happened? I don't want Britt to know that people know. She's been _really_ pissed at me."

Quinn smiled sympathetically. "I promise I won't tell anyone else. And I'm sorry for telling Rachel."

"It's alright," Santana stated while lolling her head. "I understand. She's very protective of you. She threatened to file a case against me."

The blonde's eyes widened in shock. "She threatened to file a case against you?"

"Sorta."

Quinn closed her eyes and groaned. "She's very feisty."

"I know," the Latina laughed. "A year ago…I was exactly like her. Even worse."

"Really? But you look so…so calm and collected."

"I am now."

"What happened?"

Santana smiled widely. "Britt happened."

"Oh," Quinn smiled back and nodded for a few seconds before her expression morphed into a huge scowl. "So, don't cheat on her again. Ever."

"Hey, don't you tell your squad leader what to do," the Latina chuckled. "And I know that. I'll have to figure out a way to make it up to her."

"I can—I can talk to her, if you want? Tell her I was the one who kissed you."

"Uh, no offense, Fabray. But you're like…way too innocuous for anyone to believe it was _you_ who seduced _me_." Santana patted Quinn's head. "You're alright, Fabray. I like you. We can be best friends."

"Rachel's my best friend. But I guess, there's no harm in adding another one." Quinn's eyes suddenly brightened and her lips formed a huge grin. "I've made more friends in two days here than my whole life back home."

"You seriously had no friends back home?"

"Everyone avoided me be—"

"Yeah, I get it. You're the descendant of the Wiggins. I don't get how that surname can be revered and reviled at the same time. But. No time to think about that. We'll be late for class. Got your tablet?"

"Yeah," Quinn stated before picking up her school-issued bag.

"Alright. I'll escort you to your first class. The rest of the day, you're on your own. So _please_ try to avoid Karofsky, and keep alert."

Rachel's mood immediately soured at the sight of Quinn being walked to class by Santana. She huffed then turned on her tablet to scan the syllabus for their first subject: Military History.

"Seriously?" Rachel mumbled to herself. "This is going to be boring."

"I don't know," Quinn sat behind her and whispered near her ears. It gave Rachel goosebumps. She will need to have a word with the blonde regarding personal space eventually. Oblivious to her effect, Quinn continued, "I think it's fun to know how they succeeded despite the lack of modern weapons and technological advancements."

The brunette ignored the other girl's attempts at small talk. She felt a finger jabbing her shoulder repeatedly.

"What?"

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Maybe."

"Don't be, please? I don't want you mad at me."

"I—" Rachel snapped her mouth shut when Lieutenant Schuester entered the room and immediately ordered them to turn on their tablets. Quinn sighed and settled down, turning on her own gadget and quickly sent out a note to Rachel using their intramessenger.

**L.Q. Fabray: Pssst. **

The brunette frowned when she felt the rectangular device vibrated softly. She fought a growing smile on her face when the message was followed with an avatar of a miserable-looking Quinn. She glanced up and saw their instructor busy explaining the scope and limitation of the subject and decided it was safe to respond.

**R.B. Berry: L.Q?**

**L. : Lucy Quinn. But don't you call me Lucy. **

**R.B. Berry: Or what? **

**L. : Nothing. Just please don't call me that.**

**R.B. Berry: But why? I think it's adorable. **

**L.Q. Fabray: Exactly. The last thing I want is for people to think I'm adorable. I'm already seen as a geek. I should be fierce. Rawr. **

Rachel bit her lip and glanced at the front of the classroom again before responding.

**R.B. Berry: That rawr just made you officially an adorable geek. **

**L.Q. Fabray: And that smile I see on your face means you're no longer mad at me. **

**R.B. Berry: You're behind me, how can you see?**

**L.Q. Fabray: Your dimple gives you away. **

**R.B. Berry: Okay, fine. I'm not mad at you anymore. Now, stop this and listen to the lecture. (I can't believe I'm the one telling you that.)**

**L.Q. Fabray: I know everything about this subject already. I'm smarter than Lieutenant Schue.**

**R.B. Berry: You're so full of it. **

**L.Q. Fabray: Am not. Just stating a fact. Want me to prove it to you?**

**R.B. Berry: By all means, impress me. **

Quinn smirked and raised her eyebrow before she leaning back and raising her hand. "Lieutenant?"

"Uh, yes, Quinn?"

"I disagree with what you said about The Peloponnesian War."

The man furrowed his brows. "We'll have time to discuss that, I'm still giving an overview."

"But what you said was wrong."

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Quinn. The instructor was left with no choice but to humor the young blonde. "Alright, say your piece."

"The _key _to understanding The Peloponnesian War is looking at it through the point of view of the Athenians. Like any empire, surrounding territories—the weaker ones—expect the strongest to be morally upright, that is, they will act for the good of the whole community, in this case, the whole of Greece. But this isn't, and shouldn't be the case. An empire exists because it follows only one moral code."

"And what would that be?"

"To do everything it can for its empire and its survival. And if that means—and Thucydides explains this in the Melian Dialogue—having to conquer neutral states such as Melios to ensure the defeat of Sparta, it should and it will."

"And you don't think it's wrong?"

"We can't apply human morality to actions of the state. I may think it's wrong to violate another person's rights, but the state does not act that way."

"You're treating the state as a monolithic entity, Quinn. It _is_ made up of people."

"Whose actions represent the interest of the state which is again defined only by one thing—to do everything they can for the state's or empire's survival. We can't study military history, Lieutenant, and make judgments based on how morally good or bad it was. We judge it on the basis on whether it achieved its intended goals. It's either a success or failure."

"Even if it means millions of casualties in order to achieve it."

"Yes. Lives do not matter if it means the survival of humanity. It sounds illogical. But that is the nature of war. One must kill in order to survive and ensure the sustainability of man's society. Why drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Most of the people were civilians-unarmed. But from the point of view of the old American Empire, that had to be done in order for peace to not only persist, but to be sustained."

The man narrowed his eyes and simply nodded, relieved that the soft melodic sound that signals the end of class rang through the halls. Rachel turned around and gazed at Quinn with so much admiration that she failed to register the rest of the students' curious and anxious looks directed at her. Quinn Fabray just stumped the teacher on their first day, and news spread like wildfire before lunchtime.

"Fabray, what the hell did you do?" Santana laughed while eating lunch.

"Nothing," Quinn frowned. "Why's everyone giving me a weird look?"

"Uh, because you showed off big time in your Military History class? No one likes a braggart, you know? You need to learn to lay low."

"Quinn did no such thing," Rachel chimed in and glared at Santana. "She simply disagreed with Lieutenant Schuester's line of thinking. That's not being a braggart."

"But I did kind of brag, because you asked me to impress you."

Santana and Tina both raised their eyebrows and looked at each other while Rachel blushed. "Quinn, other people don't need to know that," she whispered.

"Oh, right. Of course."

"So…" Tina cleared her throat. "Are we ready for practice later?"

"Are we fighting another squad?" the small brunette asked.

"Not yet," the Squad leader stated and looked at Rachel carefully. "We need to establish team rapport and shit before I can say we're ready. If I can get Britt into actually practicing with us today." Santana looked at the next table sadly with Brittany choosing to have lunch with Finn and Puck.

"I can sympathize with her," Rachel mumbled.

Quinn nudged the smaller girl and looked at Santana apologetically. The Latina simply shrugged in response.

Team rapport is going to be a distant dream right now.

And it definitely showed when they started playing games. Rachel refused to follow Santana's orders most of the time. If it was a real battle, Tina would have been eaten by a komodo dragon on steroids, Santana would have been crushed by a rampaging horde of rhinoceroses with five horns and Rachel would have been eaten and regurgitated by a monkey-eating eagle the size of a two-seater plane.

Well, that should have been Quinn. But Rachel covered the blonde and ended up being scooped up by the bird. Quinn was definitely beginning to hate birds.

It was still manageable until Santana decided to add another dimension to the game: human casualties. As they all struggled—and Quinn fumbling left and right—Santana suddenly drew her gun and aimed directly at Rachel. It all happened in a hazy instant. Quinn saw Rachel fly a few meters from where she was standing, only to be stopped by hitting a tree trunk. Her body slumped over with very weak movements that signaled she was still conscious.

Quinn saw red and jumped at Santana, punching the squad leader straight to the jaw. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"She was in the way, you dumbass! I had no choice!" Santana screamed back as she tried to protect herself from the angry greenhorn.

"Quinn!" Tina quickly held on to the blonde's waist and attempted to separate her from the Latina. "Stop! Come on! Don't be an idiot!"

"No!" The young genius continued to throw punches at Santana's body until she heard Rachel scream at her to stop. She immediately let go and ran towards Rachel. "Rachel, Rachel, are you okay?"

The brunette groaned as she got up. Shaking her head rapidly, she held on to Quinn's shoulders. "I'm fine. I just the wind knocked out of me. Just give me a few minutes."

"See? Your girlfriend's okay!" Santana growled before wiping the blood off her lip. "Next time you behave this way, Fabray, I'm going to slap a disciplinary case against you!"

"Me? You almost got Rachel killed, you moron!"

"Quinn," Rachel squeezed the blonde's shoulder and looked at her steadily. "She's right."

"She's—what? Why are you siding with her?"

"Because…if there were real human beings in the middle of the fight, our duty is protect them, not ourselves. I was in the way, and a dozen children would have been killed if she didn't shoot me."

Quinn turned around and surveyed the battle ground silently. She was still seething and refused to acknowledge the logic behind Santana's actions.

Rachel pursed her lips. "It's just like what you said earlier. We are bound by a duty. Do everything we can in order to ensure survival of man. And if that means someone has to die in order to achieve it, then it has to be done."

Quinn glowered at her. "That was meant for the Greeks!"

"It's meant for all kinds of war," the brunette smiled. "Look, just…take me to the infirmary or something. It'll give you time to cool your head…and apologize to Santana later."

"What? No, I'm not apologizing to _her_. Why are you being nice to her all of a sudden?"

"I'm not," the smaller girl chuckled. "I still don't trust her for what she did with you. But she doesn't deserve a bloody lip for doing what a squad leader is expected to do in a situation like this," Rachel stated and gave Quinn a knowing look. "I'm a quick learner and that lecture you gave earlier in Military History? I absorbed everything. I can sympathize with Santana and why she did what she did."

"Well…I guess I just ate my own words, huh?"

"Sort of. Now come on, take me to the clinic."

Santana kept a good distance as the two new students walked closely to each other to the exit. The Latina looked up to where one of the cameras where located and gave the finger, as she knew it was the one directly attached to Sue's monitor. Feeling satisfied, she left the room with Tina and headed straight to the infirmary as well.

"That was…interesting," Will sighed heavily. "I thought Quinn isn't a brawler."

"She's not _naturally_ one. But when cornered or triggered, she has strength that needs to be controlled. She would need to learn to control it. That's one of the things that scare me about her. She's not at all aware of her strength."

"It's a good thing Santana's trained in the art of defense. Because according to the sensor attached to her body, Quinn landed at 800 pounds per square inch."

"Holy crap. No wonder Lopez flipped me the bird."

"I don't know why you allow her to behave that way. That's a complete disrespect to—"

"Santana has what? Ten violations already? That never stopped her. She knows she's one of the best we've ever had in the history of this school's reopening. And besides, it actually…amuses me. We seldom find entertainment in this godforsaken place. A little show of rebellion is welcomed for me."

Will rubbed his forehead. "Fine. That's your call. Look, I need to talk to you about Quinn earlier in class."

"I heard about that," Sue grinned deviously. "It must've hurt your ego, huh?"

The man shook his head. "Working with you? My ego has checked out a long time ago. That's not my concern. Her way of reasoning is—"

"It's your fault you insist to treat that subject as a way to indoctrinate students with a certain moral code. I happen to agree with her. Military history should not be judged in accordance to what is ethical and not."

"She'll end up like Peter."

"And didn't he bring peace? A lasting one?"

"He brought peace, but it was attached to his persona. We all know what happened after he died. My point is, Quinn has so much potential. Way beyond what we are preparing her to do. I don't want to create a monster."

"Did you give her John Locke's work?"

"Not yet."

"Then it's your damn fault she thinks this way. Oh, and throw in Immanuel Kant for kicks."

"Fine. I'll sync in those books to her system."

"Good. What are they up to now?"

Will looked at his monitor and searched for Quinn and Rachel. "They're… at their dorm room." The man squinted then hurriedly turned off his monitor as the thermal images indicated that the two were sharing the upper bunk of their bed.

Sue sniggered and shook her head. "Oh, William. I don't envy your job."

Rachel scooted closer and inhaled deeply. "You smell good."

Quinn smiled as she absently combed the brunette's hair with her fingers. "My sister gave me this perfume before I left. It reminds me of her."

"So, it's like she's always with you."

"Yeah, pretty much that. She gave me…she gave me several bottles because I don't know how long I'll be here. And even if I do get to come home again…I don't know if…if…"

Rachel held Quinn and pulled the blanket over, cocooning them into a very intimate position. "You'll see her again."

The blonde nodded. "Hey, Rach? Can I call you Rach?"

"Yeah," the smaller girl smiled. "You can call me that."

"Good," Quinn smiled back. "You're not hurt anymore?"

"No, I'm good. Thank you…for taking care of me."

"I like it," Quinn grinned as her eyes danced with happiness. "I don't like the feeling of getting mad, but I won't hesitate to do it once more if someone hurts you again."

It was a weird feeling—caring so much for Rachel. But it was also a good feeling. If she even dared to admit, it felt ten times better than kissing Santana.


End file.
